Running-gear.



' PATENTED FEB. 10, 1903.

0. W. PETRO.- RUNNING GEAR.

v.APPLIO.ATION FILEDDOT. 2, 1902.

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No. 720,177. PATENTED FEB.v10,1903.

0. W.'PETR(). RUNNING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2, 1902. x No MODEL. I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. PETRO, OF NEAR NORTH SALEM, INDIANA.

RUNNING-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,177, dated February10, 1903. Application filed October 2, 1902. Serial No. 125,677. 1N0 mdel) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. PETRO, a citizen of the United States,residing near North Salem, in the county of Putnam and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful Running-Gear, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to improvements in running-gear for vehicles.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofrunning-gear for vehicles and to provide a simple, inexpensive, andefficient construction of great strength, adapted to permit either twoor three horses to be hitched to awagon or other vehicle and capable ofenabling the pole or tongue to be centrally arranged when two horses areused and of permitting the said pole or tongue to be shiftedlaterally'when three horses are used and to be arranged between thecentral horse and one of the side horses, wherebyall side draft isprevented.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended;

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of a running-gearconstructed in accordance with this invention and shown arranged forthree horses. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the front portion of thefront truck, illustrating the arrangement of the pole and of the tongueor pole sockets. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the same. Fig. 4is a plan view, the runningear being arranged for two horses. Fig. 5:isa detail perspective view of the tripletree.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 designates the front portion orfront truck of a running-gear whichisprovided with front hounds 2 and 3, secured to the front axle in theusual manner and having their front ends spaced apart to provide acentrally-arranged tongue or pole receiving" socket 4. The front hound 3is provided with a lateral enlargement 5, having a tongue or polereceiving socket 6, offset laterally from the centrally-arranged socket4 and adapted to receive a tongue or pole 6 to permit the 'trees to thesame.

same to be arranged at one side of the center between the central horseand the rightside horse when three horses are hitched to therunning-gear. In FigsJl and2 of the drawings the lateral extension isshown atthe right-hand side of the running-gear; but it will be readilyapparent that it may be arranged either at the right or left hand side,as desired. This permits a central draft and effectually prevents allside draft, and there is no liability of the central animal being chafedor irritated by the tongue or pole. The lateral extension or enlargementof the front hound 3 may be formed integral with the said hound or beconstructed in any other desired manner, and the front portion of therunning-gearis supported by transverse straps or bars 7 and 8, arrangedin pairs and secured to the upper and lower faces of the hounds by boltsor othersuitablefasteningdevices. The hounds are also supported by acurved brace-rod 9,

extending in advance andin rear of the axle,

as clearlyshown in the drawings. The transverse straps or bars 7 areprovided with perforations 10 and 10, adapted to receive pins or boltsfor securing the tongue or pole to the running-gear and for connectingthe whiffle- The. whiffletree or tripletree 11, which may be constructedin any desired manner, is provided with central and end singletrees 12and 13, located at the center ofthe front portion of the running-gearand at opposite sides thereof and adapted to permit the central horse towalk in the middle of the road. The pin or bolt 14 for securing thewhiffletrees to the running-gear is supported by a brace 16, consistingof a strap or bar having a bifurcated rear end and provided at oppositesides of the bifurcations with eyes 17 for the reception of a pintle 18,which hinges the brace 16 to a perforated gear 19 of a plate or bar 20.The plate or bar 20 is secured to the upper faces of the hounds andserves to support the same.

When it is desired to arrange the runninggear to enable two horses tobehitched to it, the pole or tongue is transferred from the side socketto the central socket or opening 4 and the whiffletree' 11 is removedand a doubletree 21 is substituted for the same. The pin 14: passesthrough the doubletree and through the end of the pole when the partsare arranged as shown in Fig. 4. The doubletree is composed of a bar andis connected by straps to singletrees 22.

The whiffletree 11 is composed of a pair of bars spaced apart to receivelevers 23, pivoted near their outer ends by bolts 24 or other suitablefastening devices to the whiflletree and extending beyond the ends ofthe same. The singletrees 13 are secured to the outer ends of the leversby straps 25, and the central singletree 12 is connected with the innerends of the levers by straps 26, arranged in pairs and convergingforwardly from the said levers. The inner arms of the levers are twicethe length of the outer arms to equalize the draft between the horses orother draftanimals.

It will be seen that the running-gear is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction and that it is adapted to permit the pole ortongue to be arranged either centrally of it or at one side of the same,to locate it between the horses when a doubletree is used and to arrangeit between the central horse and one of the side horses when atripletree is employed. Furthermore, it will be clear that when threehorses are used the draft is centrally of the vehicle and that thearrangement of the pole at one side eifectually prevents all side draft.

VVhat is claimed is- 1. The combination with a running-gear for wagonsprovided at its front with a pair of tongue-receiving sockets locatedrespectively at the center and side of the same, said sockets beingalike in size and contour, of a tongue having its end formed to fit bothof said sockets and adapted to be removablysecured in either of them;whereby the tongue may be readily changed from one socket to the otherto secure either a central or side draft.

2. In a wagon running-gear, the combination with front hounds spacedapart to form a tongue-receiving socket, one of said hounds having itsend enlarged, and a tongue-receiving socket formed in its enlargedportion,said sockets being alike in size and contour, of a tongue havingits end formed to fit both of said sockets and adapted to be removablysecured in either of them; whereby the tongue may be readily changedfrom one socket to the other to secure either a central or side draft.

3. In a wagon running-gear, the combination with a pair of front houndsspaced apart and having their adjacent faces shaped to form atongue-receiving socket, one of said hounds having its end enlarged anda tonguereceiving socket formed in its enlarged end, said sockets beingalike in size and contour, of straps connecting the hounds and formingthe upper and lower walls of the tongue-receiving sockets, and a tonguehaving its end formed to fit both of said sockets and adapted to beremovably secured in either of them; whereby the tongue may be readilychanged from one socket to the other to secure either a central or sidedraft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WV. PETRO.

Witnesses:

Rosoon SMYTHE, NOAH H. BARTLETT.

